Special Thanks to Tommy: George & Gracie’s Landlord

IMPORTANT: Messages from osprey experts

Rob Bierregaard July 1, 2015 at 7:24 am
I haven’t seen the little guy yet this morning, but I would be very surprised if he survived the night. That sure was tough to watch yesterday, but that whole process is as much a part of the essence of being an Osprey as is eating a fish. It’s part of the life of Ospreys that was rarely seen before we started putting cameras in nests. As hard as it is, we should not label the behavior as mean or cruel. Being mean or cruel implies that there is intent to do harm just for harm’s sake. Those young were responding to a set of stimuli (very little food being delivered to the nest and the presence of a very small young) in a way that evolution has hard-wired into them. It helps ensure their survival. Nature is not cruel. It is harsh, unforgiving, and often random (had the little guy been born 1st, he would have been just as aggressive as was his sibling), but not cruel or mean.

Paul Henry ospreyzone July 1, 2015 at 8:17 am
Thanks Rob for bringing your knowledge and experience to help us all gain perspective here. We are all saddened by the events that unfolded before our eyes and it’s only natural for all of us to feel and express our emotions appropriately. There have been many issues pertaining to intervention which have been discussed amongst us all. There is no doubt in my mind that the right decision was made, to let nature take it’s course. By the way, that doesn’t equate to heartless, on the contrary, nobody feels worse about this then the apparent decision makers. I say apparent, because when all was said and done, and all the issues were properly weighed, there really weren’t any other options. It was clearly pointed out, by experts, that intervening at this stage could have spooked the whole nest to the point of losing all the young. If the little one was saved, and nursed back to health, what kind of a life would it have had, perhaps caged up in a zoo. I remember when I was younger I saw a golden eagle in captivity, caged behind a wire mesh. I could practically see it’s tears. As far as placing the little one in another nest, such a low probability of success would never have justified the possibility of spooking the nest. There’s a piece of me, however heavy hearted, that believes that perhaps it is better to be born free and die free. We mourn for the little one as we marvel at the wonders of nature.

Reprinted with the permission of John W. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hello Paul,

Thanks for your query, and you have my admiration for persevering. We know very well how tough your job is, including dealing with an anxious public.

Our policy with our Bird Cams project is essentially “just say no” to pleas for interference. The behavior you are witnessing – while seemingly cruel and heartless to us – is natural for many kinds of birds, especially those that feed on variable, unpredictable food supplies. The little nestling does have a chance to survive, but if it does not then that result was “meant to be” by the nature of Osprey breeding strategy. The wonderful things about these nest cameras also sometimes yield the difficult things for us to watch. As you might know, we actually post a “siblicide alert” on some of our cams where we suspect the possibility exists.

I’m copying your note to Charles Eldermire, project leader for our Bird Cams. He may have some additional comments, and he would be the one to ask if we might be able to use your stored files for biological analysis.

It’s also important to acknowledge that intervening can also cause problems of its own—depending on the ages of the birds in the nest, disturbing them can trigger an early fledge. We have restricted the scenarios in which we would even consider intervening to injuries or dangers that are explicitly human-derived. For example, 3 or 4 years ago we were alerted by viewers that one of the osprey chicks at the Hellgate Osprey nest was entangled in monofilament line. We consulted with our partners there (wildlife biologists, raptor researchers, raptor rehabbers) to determine if the monofilament was an issue, and if intervening was both likely to solve the issue AND not have bad effects on the other nestlings. In the end, a quick trip to the nest was scheduled via a bucket truck, the monofilament was removed, and the nestlings all eventually fledged. In that case, all of the permits were already in hand to be studying the ospreys, and we had already discussed how to approach issues in the nest.

I’ve been to your site—great cam! And I noticed the runt in the nest. This is just normal Osprey reproduction. It happens all the time and you should not intervene. It’s tough to watch, but it’s how nature works. Ospreys almost always lay 3 eggs and on average fledge between 1 and 1.5 young each year. They stagger the hatch so there is a spread of ages in the young. That way, if food is short, the first-hatched (and therefore largest) will get enough food to survive while the smaller nest mates do not. If all three young were the same size and there was only enough food for 1 young, none of the young would get enough food and they would all die. If there’s lots of food, the smallest will eventually get fed and can survive. These nest cams can show some gut-wrenching scenes. The most infamous perhaps was one of the very first Osprey cams (on Long Island somewhere), where the smallest young died. One of the adults carried it out of the nest and after several minutes flew back into the nest and fed it to the other young. Waste-not-want-not at its goriest. At Hog Island up in Maine just last week a Bald Eagle came in and took the young out of the nest. Last year at another nest, cameras documented a Great-horned Owl taking young Ospreys out of a nest in NJ or MD. All of these things have been going on for millions of years and Ospreys are doing fine.

Rose, I thought the same thing. George brought in the fish but Gracie wasn’t on the nest, so he started feeding the chicks and eating himself. He then seemed to alert to something and flew off leaving the fish on the nest. Chicklets cutely tried at bites of fish! Then Gracie flew in, grabbed the fish and continued to feed chicklets. 🙂

I scrolled back and saw George bring in a fish this morning. Gracie was no where to be found and he looked a bit shocked. He stayed for a few minutes then left the nest, leaving the chicks to try to eat on their own. Gracie did show up and fed them their breakfast. Have a good day, everyone 🙂

Looks like a breakfast buffet this AM July23 just before 9AM eastern. At first George was feeding (and eating a lot himself; he needs it for strength, too) the two chicks. Then it appeared to me that he left a chunk behind before he flew off. Almost immediately, Gracie appeared with a fish, and chicks are eating again. This is GREAT! Maybe the 2 adults will continue to share obtaining the fish.

8:40 Looks like Gracie brought in a good sized fish. The female and chick at the Woods hole nest hadn’t had a fish in 3 days. Gracie is the superstar here not George.
No site of George at all this morning?

Has anyone viewed the 2014 highlights? The female does not appear to be the female who is on the nest this year. An osprey would not “lose” necklace feathers. Distinguishing features help us to identify the birds from one year to the next.

FINALLY, others are seeing THANK YOU! Beautiful Gracie with the full crown passed in the beginning when George would not fish to feed the babies. Gracie would catch the fish but tore her legs up pretty bad. She was also sick from the 2 or 3 nights in the rain covering her babies and it was just too much for her. She is with little bit loving her smallest baby. The other Gracies have been doing one heck of a job caring for #1 and #2. God bless them all ~

I don’t believe anyone here is saying that the current Gracie is not the same female who laid the eggs. The current Gracie is the only female who has been on this nest this season. You can look at the highlight videos from before the eggs hatched and see it’s the same bird – no necklace but has the dark spot under her right wing.
There is no way a female could die and just simply be replaced by another one. The nest would fail and all the chicks would die.
It is, however, very possible that the female with George at the end of last season was a different osprey and she did not make it back from her migration.

The mother osprey attacked the remaining chick today at the Woods Hole Nest. It was decided this afternoon that they would rescue the chick. It’s my understanding that the male osprey is not bringing in enough fish if any at all. They are hoping that the female will begin to fish for her own survival.

With George not providing enough for his family, my only wish is that we won’t watch any harm come to these remaining 2 chicks. Gracie is doing her best. She is giving most of the fish delivered to the 2 young chicks and calling George for more for herself.

It is a possibility that George has another nest and of course one nest will suffer.

If there should be a crisis on this nest I hope we will react and rescue them.

The experts don’t know why. The lack of food is definitely a big part of it but they also have wondered if she is too young and still retains some of the sibling aggressiveness. From what I’ve read, she was much worse last year and always attacked her 3 chicks. They all managed to fledge but the youngest was found dead, probably from starvation, soon afterwards. She seemed to be doing better this year and didn’t start attacking them until recently when she had no food.

Last update from the Wood hole site:
July 22, 2015
After consulting with experts on the sitation, we are removing the bird from the nest and have arranged for care with a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

With that, we are closing the camera for the season. We appreciate your care and interest in the Osprey Cam.

I’m so glad that George caught dinner for them. I looked back and believe it was around 8:15 p.m. EST. It’s so cute when the chicks lie down on their sides, and also when they flap their wings. They really are so pretty and growing quickly!

Got home late tonight so could only scroll back to about 4:30pmEDT. About 4:45pm it looked like George brought in 2 tiny fish. Gracie was feeding one to a chick while the other chick grabbed one and tried eating on his own. Chick G was feeding looked like it gulped down what there was of its fish. G went to the other chick and took his fish cause he wasn’t getting anywhere and started feeding him.
About 6:15 Geo showed up with another small fish. I think he found a can of sardines! Both chicks got some but there wasn’t much.
Fortunately, about 8 Geo brought in 1/2 a medium fish. The appetizers just didn’t cut it! Looked like both chicks got a share. Less pushy chick was right in there getting a share. But I don’t think Gracie got much…she is announcing it to the world….
The chicks feathers are really filling in and they are getting actual tails! Looking very impressive!

I just got home and read comments. Seems food was not plentiful today. Was fish brought to the nest after early afternoon? The babies are quiet right now and I don’t see Gracie. I thought most of the plastic blew away last night but I see more of it tonight. It was scary last night when it blew over George thankfully he didn’t get tangled in it. Hopefully this piece gets loose and blows away also. Please someone let me know that fish was delivered for dinner. Thank you.

The latest update on the Woods Hole chick: (Jazzel is the wildlife worker and C1 is the chick)

Good news, folks! I just heard from Jazzel and C1 arrived at the rehab in good shape! love love
As I said to Jazzel, we will pray for C1 a day at a time and send positive thoughts for a full recovery and
uneventful release.
Aw, she must be so happy to have a fish! big smile

Interesting. With this feeding when chuck 1, Gigi, would try to grab at the food being offered, Gracie would pull back and feed it to chuck 2, Izzy. Maybe Gracie is getting a bit fed up with how greedy Gigi has been.

From the Woodshole site:
Welcome to the Woods Hole Osprey Cam
July 22, 2015
After consulting with experts on the sitation, we are removing the bird from the nest and have arranged for care with a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

With that, we are closing the camera for the season. We appreciate your care and interest in the Osprey Cam.

Great to see the kids eating together nicely @ 6:20. (: I just looked at the Woods Hole cam and see there is a notice the chick has been removed from the nest and taken to a rehabilitative center. The camera is also shut down for the season.
A hope it’s a better year next year for that nest!

They removed the chick from the Woods Hole osprey nest around 5:45 or so. They have arranged for it’s care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. The last time it was fed was at 9:45 a.m. Monday morning.. They are closing the cam for the season.

Oh, I just saw that they have removed the chick from the Woods Hole nest and shut down the cam. I don’t know all of the specifics, but I hope that this baby will be just fine in the care of a rehabilitation facility! Beautiful Bird and I have enjoyed watching them!

Two little fish at 4:44 PM EDT. Wonder if they are bringing in small fish to teach the chicks to eat on their own? This is the first nest that I have watched, but it is interesting watching the one chick try to eat the small fish.

At 2:45 CST I saw what looks like one chick eating the remains of the dead sibling. It has feathers and looks to be crawling with maggots. The mom and other chick completely ignored the whole thing and wanted no part of it. Am I right? Was it the deceased chick?

For those of you asking about Woods Hole the latest update I see is this: July 22, 2015
There was good feeding over the weekend, but the last fish delivery was on Monday. Hoping for food on the nest today. For more frequent updates, you can follow the thread on the Window on Wildlife discussion board.

I dont watch that site but I became curious and just checked it out. The dad was sitting in the nest with the chick but I have no idea if it had been fed or not. I hope the dad hasnt just given up on it and will hunt to feed it.

It’s getting a little crowded in the nest, with the kids spreading their wings, especially when George & Gracie are in the nest as well. When will the kids start flying? Is it after Gracie & George leave the nest?

Birds won’t fly until they get flight feathers and wings are strong enough. Parents won’t leave before birds fledge (fly), will continue to feed. Babies will learn to eat on own. Ospreys migrate, and at some point mother leaves, and fledglings are taught to hunt by father. Then babies and father leave for South America, probably separately. Amazing what these birds can do so quickly without reading Dr. Spock. I worry about George caring enough to take care of his children after Gracie leaves.

Marilyn, They still have a while before they fledge (flying). First they’ll branch and than they fledge. They will stay around the nest
for about another 5-6 weeks learning how to fish from their parents. Parents won’t leave until chicks can fend for themselves. When they
do leave Mom usually leaves first and Dad will stay to make sure kids have food. Than Dad will leave, followed by the chicks.

Finally around 2pm, a 3/4 eaten fish. #1 fought Gracie for it! Gracie prevailed and fed #1, but #2 was unusually aggressive and got in there to eat. George sitting in nest, he needs to get out there and get some fish!

A headless fish shortly before 1:00 which isn’t going to be enough. There was a tug of war between Gracie and #1. Gracie won but agreed to feed him. #2 just tried to get out of the way. Poor guy he’s so hungry but knows he has to wait his turn. The fish isn’t going to last that long.

Wednesday, July 22 1:53 PM George finally brings first fish of the day he already ate the head off so he got his chair Right away little one grabbed a hold but couldn’t get a big chunk off mom is feeding oldest first Second one is on standby waiting his turn desperately waiting I hope a fight doesn’t break out I’m such a nervous wreck since they are also very hungry even mom is hungry
This fish is not going to be enough George needs to get his butt off the nest and go back out there
Come on George if you fill try and try again until you succeed

As long as I’ve been watching…3 1/2 weeks, I have never seen an absence of George for this long. No fish, 1:45pm, nothing since last night! Gracie has been calling for him all day. I fear if/when a fish shows up, there will be an all out battle in the nest.

Maybe George is upset with Gracie after she came off the perch last night, just before 9 pm EDT, came into the nest and took his fish. Than seconds later, on take off with the fish, she wrapped George in plastic!!

July 22 @1:20PM eastern
very stressful to watch today. Maybe i missed earlier feedings?? right now, no fish, and about an hour ago, George showed up with no food. Has it been confirmed that he has TWO nests to provide for?? That certainly would explain things.
C’mon, George OR Gracie!! Pls. get some lunch!!

It will be interesting to see what happens when these guys try their wings for the first time if the wind is blowing as hard as it seems (flapping trash) to sound! Anybody got an extra large crabbing net handy? 🙂

Looks like they would rescue it, instead of letting it die. They say the are low number of Osprey, so why let them die, if they could be removed. I understand not messing with nature, but there are times when it’s necessary.

12:33ish EST – Gracie moves some wood over in front of the chicks – I assume to add to the protective barrier – and one of the kids pecked at her! Twice!! Guess no one has taught them not to bite the hand, er, BEAK, that feeds?

Well, George flew in around 11:45 a.m. NY time, but empty-taloned. I checked back the last four hours and did not see any feeding going on. This time he not only had to put up with Gracie’s nagging, but the chicks got into the act, too. Everyone must be starving. I don’t think they ate since last night. After a few minutes, he took off again. Hope he’s successful in his fishing.

He’s flying around the neighborhood..I can hear him squawking and see him overhead! A few daye ago, he was in my neighbors pine tree watching me eat my dinner! I’m stingy like Gracie, I don’t share! Lol

Chicks are getting loud! I thought I heard Gracie but it was one of kids. Unless she’s on perch, In case it was missed, I just wanted to thank all responders who answered my question about the CC nest. I was not familiar with that site and not aware that ospreys would adopt other fledglings. I’m still learning and don’t mind admitting it, so nothing is obvious to me, so I would rather ask.

Carol, I don’t think the interloper has been adopted. They tried to get rid of it but it kept coming back. It’s not always there so who knows if it will learn to fish and make a life for itself? Something must have happened to it’s original nest, I have no idea.
There is a chick in a nest in Woods Hole, Mass that is all but abandoned but it cannot fly to another nest for help.

8:30amEDT….haven’t seen a fish yet. Changing tides affect fishing? George’s success shifts each day. Too bad Gracie didn’t share that late night fish instead of getting out of Dodge with the loot. Kids didn’t seem that enthusiastic last night so I guess she figured it was a good time to fill up.

Beautiful sunrise and a nice breeze ruffling the chicks feathers. Heard Gracie chatting with them so she must be on perch. But if there was any rain as predicted, it wasn’t much. This has got to be one of the driest spells on record. At least it cooled down to the high 60s. Immense relief!

Where’s Grace? I’ve scrolled back all 4 hrs and havent seen her? Babies are hunkered down as it seems quite breezy. Aha!! She must be on perch because I hear her now. Whew! I was worried for nothing! Have a good day, everyone 🙂 Weather is suppose to be much nicer today so enjoy. 🙂

Just before 9:00pmEDT, George flew in with most of a good sized fish. Gracie was yelling at him from the perch and the kids were waking up from sleep. Gracie flew down, grabbed fish and started to eat, then flew off with the fish, flinging plastic over George in the process. George shook off plastic and flew up to the perch. The chicks just kind of looked around sleepily.
It’s 9:20 now and too dark for me to see…but there is chirping…maybe chicks and George talking?

Wednesday night 9:15 pm if you go to grandriver.ca you can see the two baby ospreys flying from one side of the nest to the other they are so cute and it’s daytime there since our Osprey family George and Gracie are in the dark you might want to take a look to see what to expect our babies wI’ll bring doing soon

George flew in with a fish about 10 minutes ago or so and Gracie flew off with it. Dont know where she went but George is currently on perch. When Gracie grabbed the fish from George it dislodged the plastic which then blew up in the wind and almost totally covered him. Hopefully, it will blow out of the nest because I really dont think the babies like it very much.

Does seem to fit her as she does like to primp and preen for the camera. Last night she put on quite the show as she stretched her wings and stuck her right leg out. I really think she was doing it on purpose. lol 🙂

Just tuned in and it’s good to see George, Gracie and the two babies all in the nest together. They look good and seem to be growing so fast! Maybe next season they can put the cam up high and off to the side a bit, out of the way of , well, the stream! The Nature Conservancy cam is up higher, and off to the side of the nest so it stays pretty clear. Someone is fussing right now! Has there been a feeding lately?

THANK YOU for G & G’s “Love Story”! (2014 highlights) That was pure joy of each other’s company and just lovin” life! To see the courtship adds to their story.
Gracie was easier to spot with her full “necklace”. I wish she still had more spots than the few that are left to help identify her.

Around 6:35 eastern time, on july21st, the setting sun is shining on the two chicks now relaxing in the nest. Their features look chiseled; their feathers are glowing. the whole scene looks like a 17th or 18th century European painting.
So beautiful.

I dont remember any and the last comment on fish was around noon time. They must be thirsty by now and sooo hot. I wish George would just bring them a huge fish and possibly also get rid of that plastic! Nest is a mess!

Baby#1(I think) is definitely hamming it up for the camera!! Has been staring into the camera and preening for a long time. Wonder if he sees his own reflection or is he trying to impress what he thinks is another osprey? Maybe we should name them Kim and Kanye who do a great job of being seen by the public and love it.

Maternal instinct must be extremely powerful to keep Gracie in that hot sun, with those chicks pressed against her. She would be so much more comfortable any place else, closer to the water, in some shade, maybe with a pina-colada. What a marvelous mother she is!!!!!

Yes, it’s very interesting to see how she’s learning as she goes. She’s doing a great job of attempting to provide some shade for the chicks today.
Wonder if she’ll go out for her own fish again today. Right now she’s yelling at George who returned empty taloned. 2:00 pm

Carol and Lynn, About the CC nest….A fledgling from another nest,( nobody knows which one) has been visiting this nest and asking for food. The parents have been as accommodating as possible but we know on this site if there isn’t enough fish to go around it’s not a good situation. So the third osprey you see being fed is the visitor from somewhere else. The new one is a bit bigger and more assertive than the smaller foster chicks so it’s a bit troubling. We’ll see what happens because apparently this new one leaves and comes back.

Beatrice, I watched that this morning. Dad delivered a nice size fish only to have it taken away from mom and eating the entire fish. Yes, it is a large baby and dominated the n eat. We shall sees what happens as this bird comes and goes. I am happy to see this nest sound, today.

Beatrice, No worries with Mom and Dad and the VJ (visiting juvie).. If Mom/Dad don’t want her/him there they’ll run it off for sure.
So far fish has been good. VJ is not treating so no problem with that. Mom/Dad make a great foster parents..All is good..

Beatrice: When I first saw the new guest in the Chesapeake nest on Sunday, I was surprised. Mother Audrey seemed upset at first. It seems now that the new one helps himself, flys off and then returns. No fighting yet. This nest with Gracie and George needs some serious housecleaning. I can hardly see the nest for the clutter blowing back and forth.

11:45 Eastern and George just brought in a good size half of a fish. Gracie did the same thing she did yesterday – she mantled the fish and squawked loudly until George flew off the nest. Then she started eating it herself and before offering some to the kids.

I have noticed this morning that the chicks are pecking at the plastic I hope the don”t swallow any. I think they have about had it with that piece and are trying to get rid of it.. It seems to be under the branches so it won’t fly away with the wind. Maybe that was the reason Gracie brought seaweed to the nest a few days ago to cover the plastic but that disappeared . I really think it is bothering them. I hope George or Gracie bring in some heavy branches to cover that piece.

One of the chicks talons actually got caught up in the plastic and the chick was dragging it around the nest. Made it hard for the chick to walk at times because it was caught in the bag and would step on it trying to walk. Finally became unwrapped BUT it still seems to be bothering that 1 chick. I think it may be #1.

Paul or anyone else know if there was enough wind, could the babies actually fly if they needed to? Meaning, if they got too close to the edge of the nest, do they have enough feathers to support themselves? I thought I saw some babies flying in Lloyd Harbor yesterday. They probably have a couple of weeks on our two.

Fledging.. Ospreys typically fledge between 49 and 60 days from hatch. The average is 56 days. Each nest is different, and it depends on the development of the chicks and food supply. Food has everything to do with the growth and development of the chicks.

George delivered another fish just a short time ago. #1 was first to eat and wasn’t happy when 2 tried to get in a few bites. #1 would start to walk away but the minute she saw #2 trying to or getting fed, she’d hurriedly go back to eat some more. #2 ate thru the back of Gracie’s legs but didnt get as much as she should have. At least as of right now. Hope Geo keeps delivering so they both get what they need. Gracie too.

That was definitely a “Sea Robin” Gracie brought to the nest yesterday. After watching Gracie bring in the “Monster” fish yesterday, I rewound the video and watched it over and over again thinking it looked like a catfish to me, but not really a catfish but similar. It had a somewhat wide, flat mouth like a catfish. After someone suggesting it could be a “sea robin” I googled and looked at pics of some. It definitely was a “Sea Robin” that Gracie brought in. The pectoral fins were long and wide and looked almost like wings and it was flapping them when she brought it in. That explains the hard time she had getting to the meat of the fish and how long it took her to eat and feed the chicks.

yes, i was watching the Chesapeak Osprey cam, i have a question, when i got to the site, there were 3 adult Osprey on the nest with the 2 chicks ,i think the female it was, was feeding the chicks, is this a common practice among the Osprey? Thank You

5:40 CST…George brings in either half of a very small fish or a chunk of a bigger one. Hard to tell but either way, it was small. Gracie is bust feeding the not so little ones and I really hope George is out looking for something a tad bigger for them to eat. It’s suppose to be another hot one for the nest so he needs to make sure they get plenty hydrated for the day. I have a feeling that, after feeding her chicks, Gracie will INSIST that George continue his fishing! And yup. she has started already. Have a good day, everyone. Stay cool, if possible. 🙂

If the fish Gracie caught was a Sea Robin as some have suggested, it explains why she had such a tough time tearing it apart and seemed to give up on the head altogether.
“Most species are around 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) in length. They have an unusually solid skull, and many species also possess armored plates on their bodies.”

When I looked at the Chesapeake Conservancy nest yesterday, I thought there were 3 chicks, suddenly, not the two that were just banded. I had only been on that site briefly before. I was surprised to realize that the adult female has sort of outlined feathers giving her the appearance of being a youngster since the chicks are almost her size. The male is all dark like G & G. Does anyone know if this is unusual coloration for an osprey?

Not really hard to understand, a juvenile bird flew to their nest and audrey accepted into the nest and it comes and goes but she feeds it and it gets along with the other two chicks, some think it may have came from the same nest as the two that was adopted, possibly they are all siblings

There is a stray fledging that landed on the nest yesterday. Audrey has fed it and allowed it to stay on the nest. It was gone during the day today but has now returned and again it fed itself on a fish that was delivered. I hope that Tom brings enough for 3 chicks and mom.

On Sunday a youngster who apparently just fledged landed on the CC nest. Audrey and Tom have accepted him/her and Audrey is feeding him along with her own 2 chicks. This new one looks about a week or 2 older than Montana and Maine. He is able to do some self feeding and took flights out of the nest and back again throughout today.
Apparently it’s not uncommon for this to happen when chicks first fledge. They might not be able to find their way back to their own nest but still need help being fed.

Hi Carol, Montana (female/red band) & Maine (male/yellow band) were joined by an interloper (“Lopes” for the fabulous Eastern Shore cantalopes; aka MacGyver for some unknown reason) the other day. Lopes has fledged but neither of the fosters have. Lopes may be a week older. There can be five ospreys seen on this nest at any given point in time.
Emphasis on Educational:
The thought is that Lopes is from a nearby nest. Ospreys will sometimes find a new/temporary home as a matter of natural course. They may also find a new nest out of necessity: lost nest to a storm, lost one or both parents, or some other bad reason. Osprey parents will take in ‘orphans’ or at least fledglings that seem to be orphans. It seems that Lopes knows how to fly but not how to catch fish yet. It is expected that Audrey & Tom will teach Lopes how to fish as well as the fosters when they fledge.

Carol, a fledgling from another nest landed on the CC nest. Audrey has been feeding him along with her 2 chicks. The visitor flies off briefly, then comes back. He even tussled with Audrey over a fish that Tom brought. Weirdest osprey year! 🙂

I took some screenshots of the capture of the monster fish as well as when Geo and Gra were fighting over a fish the other day. I’m not sure if we can post images or how to do so. If not, I can try to post a link.

I may have to stop working! I miss the most exciting things! Something else to be considered for a highlight, watching the diving and the arrival of the seamonster!
If this helps…On the June 19 highlight( I know some people find them hard to watch) There is a moment when G & G both have their beaks on a fish and you can clearly see the markings on their heads and the differences. Gracie is on the Left and George is on Right. Sometimes hard to tell when they’re moving around but I usually scroll back a time or two and can get a better idea who’s who.
Was able to scroll back to George’s arrival with the fish chunk. Didn’t matter that there was still some of monster fish left, she had to have that piece! And then another intact large fish around 5:35pmEDT!
Gracie really getting the hang of shading the kids. There was a moment yesterday when you could almost see the lightbulb above her head…she was sort of holding out her wings and the kids popped their heads into the shade and she thought “Oh, I get this!”

The nest I watch at work is on a huge drum on a Verizon tower. Today , we saw the chick for the first time actually sitting on the rim next to mom. She was busy scolding her “George”, who was sitting on his post, lounging and fishless, across the field. No rest allowed!

Feeding time now! Both chicks now being fed, the smaller one squeaking between each bite, making sure Gracie hears him/her! Unfortunately, large piece of trash in middle of the nest, but glad to see a nice day there, and both babies looking well and being fed. 🙂

It’s 5:50 PM George brought in a fish and big brother just started beating up on little brother they were fighting over a piece of fish little guy isn’t getting much this feeding so far I was so scared for little guy my heart was pounding !!

Actually, I think #2 took a good peck at #1 first because he wasn’t getting anything. George was sort of caught in the middle of them while trying to steal some for himself. #1 fought back more aggressively, making sure #2 knew who was boss. George took off to find his own food.
Eventually #2 did get a good meal though.

The male, dedicated to providing for his family, does all of the hunting until the chicks are six weeks old. The male delivers the fish to the female on the nest who tears off pieces to feed to the young. At three to four weeks of age the chicks start to exercise their wings by holding onto the edge of the nest and flapping their wings. Mom then moves to a near by perch to guard the nest. The female may leave the nest to hunt when the chicks are six weeks old. The young start to feed themselves at this time.

Was not privy to see who landed the fish, but really enjoying the long, filling feed!And watching the wing span exercises! Love seeing the kiddies trying their beaks at pulling at the fish, too. They are growing and learning so fast! Gracie just left the nest and it was a happy, comforting site to see the siblings watching her take off, sitting alert, side by side
BTW, cannot post comment without posting e-mail address, always an error..

Wow, 5;45pm Unbelievable, just witnessed # 1 attacking # 2, shoving it out of the way to feed again. Had not witnessed the meal being brought in, but very surprised that after the grand long feeding just awhile ago that # 1 was so aggressive, hmmm…

I watched all day, off and on. I did see ish being brought to the nest a we Times. BUT, it sounded like Gracie calling and kids joining In as George delivered pretty big fish each time. At no time did I see Gracie deliver a fish while just the babies were alone in the nest. Can anyone confirm Gracie is fishing and bringing them to the nest?? Is it possible George is staying in the nest while Gracie goes fishing???

Yes, Gracie did bring in the big fish, whatever it was. The kids were alone on the nest and I don’t think George was around or else he would have come down to see the fish. It was a couple of hours till he showed up with a small leftover piece.
Gracie seemed especially hungry today. I think it just got to be too much for her to stand.

4PM July 20,
Wasn’t it wonderful to see Gracie bring home that HUGE fish around 2? Desperate times call for desperate measures. And did everyone notice that both chicks were pecking at the fish?And did you notice that after George brought in that insignificant piece of fish he was off to the side cleaning his beak. He certainly had had a full meal. and Gracie was giving him a big piece of her mind.
I wonder if George knows that Gracie was off fishing. I hope not. George did OK over the weekend, but I still consider him a deadbeat. Or maybe he is just having a hard time keeping two nests going.

I saw the whole thing as it was happening and I believe the fish was a HUGE sea robin. It definitely would account for the hard time tearing it up for feeding. Catfish only exist in fresh water and I don’t know if there are any ponds around.

It’s 3:55 pm and Gracie is still working away on that fish! She’s feeding herself, as well as some bites to one of the chicks that’s still hungry. That’s one tough fish! She’s been eating that for way over 2 hours now.

This has been very strange. Does someone know what type of fish Gracie brought home? She really had a hard time ripping it apart and after an hour and a half, parts are still there. Looks like she might have had to start from the middle. She was still at it when George came in with a piece of fish at about 3:30 and she went crazy like she hadn’t eaten all day. She even took the fish and was mantling it while squawking at him to keep away. She fed some to the chicks and to herself. Maybe she hadn’t been getting enough and reached the point of starvation.

guess i am responding to my own previous comment. Just a few minutes ago, adult and two chicks still eating!!! The other adult, who i think was George, flew in with a fish head. So it looks like BOTH adults brought in food today. (JULY 20)

At approx. l:39 pm Gracie brought in a whopper of a fish. It looked like a catfish to me, but I don’t know if there are catfish around there. Maybe a fisherman/woman could scroll back and look at the video. It was so big she barely made it over the rails with it. She was panting and had to stop and catch her breath. They are still eating it at 2:39 p.m. and there’s a lot left. It must be a catfish as they are pretty tough & this one is taking a long time.

No, it was definitely Gracie. I rewound and checked several times. Plus, she went on to feed the kids and George has never done that. It was still the same bird working on the big fish when George arrived with his small piece.

Donna-I’ve done some fishing as a local Long Island girl, I’d say the fish you saw was a Bunker (proper name Menhaden). Almost all the fish that come into the nest are Bunker. Bunker travel in huge schools, and are often chased to the surface by their mortal enemies Bluefish and Striped Bass who feed on them also. A good size Bunker can run a little more than a foot long.

I keep rechecking but I’m certain that was Gracie who glided into the nest with a big fish at about 1:40 eastern. She seemed to struggle a bit getting it into the nest like she wasn’t used to doing it and looked hot. Guess she finally got tired of waiting for George. Hope he’s OK wherever he is.
Maybe this will continue and they can increase their intake of food.

1:07 CT WOW! Did anybody else see that? About 30 minutes ago Gracie flew in with a good sized fish and what made it so great was that you could see her flying over the water and up to the nest. Very exciting to watch. I scrolled back a few times just to re-watch it. NICE!!

Which one came to the nest at 1:40ish with a fish? If it was George, Grace is not there. If it wasn’t George, then Grace has become the fisherbird.
Which ever one has the fish off to the side of the nest & doesn’t seem to be feeding the young.

I too think the camera lens looks better today. Well maybe George really did use that windshield wiper to clean it for us last night .. To Lynn Cutlet I don’t know if you know this but this is Gracie and George’s first babies it’s a learning experience for them as they get older and more mature they will get better . They say in general ospreys are good to their young. We can’t always be hard on George because environment and weather has a lot to do with his fishing capabilities. We are all just trying to keep the faith and cheer George ,Gracie and the babies on !
Here’s to a good fishing day so far

Chicks seem hot although Gracie is trying to do her best to provide some shade. I hope George brings lunch soon so they can hydrate a little more before this afternoon. We’ve had storms here this morning and I wish I could send the Osprey Four a nice gentle rain to not only cool them off but to also rinse the lens. When was the last time your area got any rain? Seems like weeks ago.

Hi, I am really hooked on this website and have left comments in the past. But, I would be remiss in not thanking Paul and Tommy for all that they did to make this amazing livestreaming possible! When we had a boat, we would ride by the state channel near Cedar Beach in Lindenhurst, and an osprey nest was on a platform in the water, similar to George and Gracie’s. I was always amazed by the birds and would take out my binoculars. However, now I have a first-hand look at another awesome family.
It does make me sad when I see the plastic and other junk in the nest. It just shows us where litter can end up. I, too, wonder if the plastic creates too much heat for the little ones (not so “little” anymore).
Anyway, I can’t wait to see them hatch. I also think the smaller sibling is catching up to the bigger one. I’m glad about that. The nest is really getting too small for the four of them! I, too, love Gracie’s fish dance. It’s so cute!! Thanks so much for erecting the platform and creating this website!!

Good Morning. Just stopped by to check on the family before the possibility of more storms in the area today. Is it my imagination or does the lens look a tad bit cleaner? Could be my eyes too, which aren’t the greatest. I scrolled back to see that George has delivered 2 fish so far today which is always a good thing. I hope he continues to have happy hunting today because Gracie and the 2 chicks sure can cause a racket when they are hungry. Wishing everyone a good day and hope it’s not to hot for the Osprey Four. 🙂

If you compare the shins on Gracie and George, Gracies are bigger which leads me to think is older and poor George’s are thin. My own thoughts are he is the “runt” and in the first year, so he’s got a lot of learning to do and Gracie will do it. And you have to admit he’s come a long way so far … that is with Gracie in control.

It is 8:30pm and boy I hope that wind feels nice for them. It looks like Gracie could get ” blown ” off the nest if she doesn’t hold on tight. After this very hot and humid day. It was a good fish day for George. Gracie did great on shading the kids. Rest up for another one tomorrow. I hope it’s another good fish day for them all. Maybe with all the wind the plastic will blow out today??

I notice that the babies do not use the part of the nest where the plastic is and it is taking up half the nest. It might be because it is very hot here today and maybe the plastic is hot or they just do not like the feel of it. Just another reason to ban plastic in our world. It causes so many problems for humans and animals I am hoping it dislodges and flies away as some other plastic did.It is supposed to be hotter tomorrow so I hope they get to use Gracie’s shade better than they did today. It is usually very hot (low 90’s) and humid here for about 2 weeks in the middle of July yet except for today and tomorrow the temp if supposed to drop back into the mid 80’s.We definitely need rain it is unusually dry this summer.

I think every time I sign on, there is something new in the nest, lol….Pretty soon, they either have to have a “yard/nest” sale or those kids better learn how to fly….I never knew these nest could be so interesting….I do check in on another nest and they have a visitor joining their family of 4…Getting pretty crowded there, also…..

good night the babies are huge!!! poor Momma and Daddy trying to keep up with the fishing and feeding! George and Gracie are doing something right or those babies wouldn’t be flourishing like they appear to be. Happy Sunday everyone. 🙂

Maybe they’re like us humans – too hot to move or eat much. Mom doing a great job of trying to shad them. 3:30 PM EDT and temperature here on the Sound on LI is 91 and very humid. Don’t think I want to make dinner tonight either!

Gracie just brought in a HUGE branch! She must have read that comment about fortifying the rim for flying exercise! We also saw a great example of her flying ability as she scooted around to find a position in the nest.Beautiful tail display

Just after 6pmEDT George dropped in empty clawed. Gracie was out. George took one look at that branch in the middle of everything and had to start rearranging. Made some room in the center. Gracie came in with some seaweed, asked how his day had been,where had he been for hours and, since the kids were now hungry where was dinner? George departed.

George came in about1:40pmEDT with fresh fish; which Gracie took.. He spotted fishtail in middle of nest and was trying to feed someone. Gracie took her fish and hopped around rim of nest to get to where she wanted to be…I was afraid she would lose fish! The kids went to mom for fresh fish so dad snacked on old tail and took off with his snack.

Just a few minutes before 12:44 PM, CST, either Grace of George showed up with a fish. I thought it was Grace making all the noise when the other Osprey arrived with a fish. The nest is so crowded that it was very difficult to see the exchange of the fish. Then, the Osprey that caught the fish began feeding the chicks. I’m confused.

Sunday 1 PM Gracie is doing a great job holding her wings out to shade her babies today what a good mommy. From what I saw it appears both babies got plenty of food today so far let’s hope George brings in a good dinner. When I googled the weather it said it was 90 feel like temperature of 102 in Long Island where the nest is no wonder those poor babies are hot if that is true. Hang in there kiddo’s !

11:45amEDT George provides again! SUPERSTAR!!! But the last fish he brought was so big Gracie was choking down a last big piece maybe 15mins ago..Gracie took possession and did a convincing dance till George left but noone seems too interested. One chick hanging out by upper rim and the other has taken up residence under Gracie’s tail… I could catch glimpses of him and I just saw the his head under her outer wing